A new crime action film premiered in Beijing on Tuesday, bringing China's domestic war against organized crime to the big screen for the first time. 

Lyu Yulai's "Break Through the Darkness," starring Jiang Wu, Zhang Songwen, and Jin Shijia, is based on real-life cases from the nationwide campaign against organized and gang-related crime, and captures both the thrill and terror involved in bringing dangerous criminals to justice.

At the premiere, the director explained that he'd made sure to do his homework: "I hope that through my film, people can get to see China's efforts in tackling organized crime — that was the original aim of everyone involved in the project." The fast-paced plot takes audiences on a roller-coaster ride as they experience the thrills of tracking down criminals.

China has achieved significant results in its national crackdown, with 3,644 mafia-like groups busted over the past three years, while another 89,742 cases involving gang-related corruption and the sheltering of gang members were also handled nationwide. Chinese courts have so far concluded 32,943 preliminary trials for gang-related activity, and a total of 53,405 defendants in related cases were handed sentences ranging from at least five years in prison to the death penalty, according to official statistics released in March.

"Break Through the Darkness" is slated for general release on May 1 —the start of the five-day May Day holiday — vying against several blockbusters being released in the same period. These include Zhang Yimou's spy action film "Cliff Walkers," romance film "My Love," crime thrillers "Home Sweet Home" and "Money Empire."

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